COLUMN An encounter with a pike in a Dutch lake led to author Scott Brenneman’s epiphany that SlugGo baits might just also work for nearshore rockfish and lingcod. (SCOTT BRENNEMAN)
Nothing Sluggish About This Bite T he morning’s incoming tide exchange is small with a light current, and will be followed by THE KAYAK GUYS a much larger outgoing By Scott By Sco cott tt Brenneman Bre renn nnem eman exchange with a much stronger current in the afternoon. Bright sun, calm air and cool temperatures greet me as I paddle out to fish along the coast. There is a four- to five-hour window until the wind starts to blow and the swell picks up. The plan is to throw and retrieve a 9-inch Slug-Go for lingcod close to shore in 15 to 20 feet of water. But unable to move in due to larger wave sets crashing against the rocks, I decide to stay
in 25 to 35 feet of water. Plan B, I rig up a white 9-inch Slug-Go on a drop shot 24 inches above a 4-ounce weight. Two hours before high slack, I start a slow troll into the soft current. The linecounter reads 35 feet when my weight touches bottom. I paddle just enough to keep moving forward. Between strokes, I lift my rod just enough to move the dropper weight. As it hits bottom again, I lower the rod tip to get the Slug-Go to drop. Twitching the rod, the drop triggers a savage strike. The first victim of the day is a thick black rockfish that is quickly released. I deploy again, and the next player is an undersized ling that self-releases at the surface. I drop down
once more and hook into what looks like the same undersized ling; I assist in the release this time. I continue my troll parallel with the reef. A large school of rockfish show up at midcolumn on my fish finder. Reeling up causes an immediate hook-up. A large portion of the school decides to follow their friend towards the surface. Not willing to pass up a good topwater bite, I switch to a light-action steelhead rod and toss out a weightless Slug-Go. One after another, black rocks rapaciously attack the soft bait as it darts erratically just below the surface. Skipping and lifting it out of the water results in fish jumping well above the surface in pursuit. Time passes quickly when you’re having fun; I decide to keep enough rockfish for a couple of meals and head in before conditions deteriorate.
I WAS FIRST introduced to Slug-Go soft baits in the Netherlands, at the 2014 Hobie Worlds fishing competition. After
nwsportsmanmag.com | APRIL 2017
Northwest Sportsman 57